Put mildly, the Arizona Fall League is an offensive-oriented circuit. Put dramatically, it is, historically, a launching pad, a hitter's paradise. So when you go 21 batters before allowing your first hit, as right-hander Cade Smith did, that's nothing to sneeze at. The Yankees No. 19 prospect, the 23 year-old

There were 43 pitches thrown at 100 mph or harder during the 2025 Arizona Fall League. Luis Perales was responsible for 20 of them. If there were any concerns about how the velocity would bounce back for the Red Sox's No. 9 prospect following Tommy John surgery in June 2024,

Kevin McGonigle left no doubt that he was the best prospect in the Arizona Fall League this season. Ranked second on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, the Tigers infielder burnished his reputation as the best pure hitter in the Minor Leagues en route to winning Most Valuable Player honors.

Once a standout two-way player in college, Cole Mathis took another step toward putting his pitching career fully behind him in the Arizona Fall League. He had only hit in 2024 at College of Charleston because of elbow trouble, which required Tommy John surgery in August after the Cubs took

Further development is the name of the game when it comes to the Arizona Fall League. But you’ll always take a championship as well. The Phillies sent a competitive group to the desert in 2025, one that helped the Surprise Saguaros secure their sixth conseuctive AFL Championship Game appearance and

The Arizona Fall League can serve as one final chance for Rule 5-eligible prospects to prove to their parent clubs that they are worthy of a 40-man roster spot before the November protection deadline. Nick Morabito passed his audition.

While we’re sad to see another Arizona Fall League season come to an end -- No. 33 to be precise -- we’re still celebrating all of the impressive prospect performances we witnessed. Later this week, we’ll have a ranking of top prospects based more on long-term value. For now, we

If there were any questions about Alfredo Duno’s ability to respond to pressure, they were answered this past week. MLB’s No. 48 prospect, the fourth-youngest player in the desert, elevated his game to new heights during the Fall League playoffs. After going homerless over 15 regular-season contests, Duno, 19, broke

The Dodgers planned on having their best prospect, Josue De Paula, continue his development in the Arizona Fall League. But the outfielder, ranked No. 13 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100, never played in a game for the Glendale Desert Dogs because of a hamstring injury. While Los Angeles was winning

Another fall campaign is in the books as the Arizona Fall League wrapped up competition this week. Prospects from the Brewers, Giants, Guardians, Phillies, Royals and Rangers organizations led the Surprise Saguaros to victory in the Championship Game over the Peoria Javelinas, capping a campaign full of top prospects and

The Arizona Fall League has served as a precursor to the big leagues in recent years for Athletics prospects, with former AFL standouts Nick Kurtz, Denzel Clarke, Brett Harris and Lawrence Butler all debuting in the Majors the following season. Could we see another AFL-to-A’s jump in 2026? Ryan Lasko,

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- All season long, Surprise manager Jesus Azuaje watched his players pick each other up. So when the Saguaros were down by four runs in the sixth inning of the Arizona Fall League Championship Game, he knew they’d just keep competing together. The team made up of Brewers,

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It might seem like a misprint, but it’s true: Dating back to 2009, either the Peoria Javelinas or Surprise Saguaros have played in every Arizona Fall League Championship Game. The two west side of the Valley powerhouses met Friday afternoon at Salt River Fields in the latest

Happy Arizona Fall League Championship Day to all who celebrate. While I'm still excited about Reds catcher Alfredo Duno’s three-homer night to get his Peoria Javelinas to the title game, this time of year is always bittersweet. It also marks the end of prospects playing baseball in the United States

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In a late July at-bat for Single-A Myrtle Beach, Owen Ayers couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. He pushed through the plate appearance, but didn’t put his catcher’s gear back on the next inning. It turned out his right hand was broken. And amid the club’s

Astros right-hander James Hicks brought the kitchen sink with him to throw at Arizona Fall League hitters, and, boy, did it work. The organization’s No. 26 prospect may not have any plus pitches, but he used all of them to earn Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year honors after

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- During the regular season, a Pirates prospect's meteoric rise earned Konnor Griffin – now MLB’s No. 1 overall -- Hitting Prospect of the Year honors. During the fall, fellow 2025 National League All-Star Futures Game representative Esmerlyn Valdez enjoyed his own offensive flurry in the desert en

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Kevin McGonigle ranks as the No. 2 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list and many scouts consider him the best pure hitter in the Minors. The Tigers infielder only enhanced his reputation in the Arizona Fall League. McGonigle slashed .362/.500/.710 in 19 games, leading the developmental

For six weeks, some of the best prospects in baseball shined in the Arizona Fall League, the game’s most elite prospect circuit. At season's end, the best of the best earned well-deserved hardware. The Fall League annually awards the Joe Black MVP Award to its top performer, and since 2021

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Phillies center fielder Dante Nori was in the starting lineup for the Surprise Saguaros in their Arizona Fall League opener on Oct. 7. He picked up his first hit in his second at-bat and, when he was thrown out trying to steal, felt a little tweak. In

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Three homers. 1,290 feet. It might have taken longer than expected, but the Alfredo Duno Show arrived in the Arizona Fall League just in time. The Reds' No. 2 prospect crushed three roundtrippers during Peoria's 9-4 win over Scottsdale in the AFL Semifinal Game at Salt River

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Nick Lovullo had stood in the box countless times and watched his dad, Torey, wind up to throw a pitch as part of their batting practice sessions. But during Sunday’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, Nick found himself with a new angle: catching a ball from

PHOENIX- Due to impending weather, the Arizona Fall League has announced that the Arizona Fall League Championship Game at Salt River Fields will be moved up to Friday, Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m. MST/3:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are available now at brushfire.com/arizonafallleague. Fans who had previously purchased tickets for Friday’s

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PHOENIX- Due to impending weather, the Arizona Fall League has announced a set of scheduling changes for the 2025 Arizona Fall League playoffs.